“I couldn’t possibly do that!” That’s how people often respond when you encourage them to write. They regard writing as some mystical act, best reserved to elites like executives and academics. Truth is, those who have the most to say probably aren’t writing. They labor each day, far from the corner office, holding their organization together and setting an example for their peers.
I’m one of those people. Six years ago, I started writing to express those daily frustrations, trade-offs, and uncertainties we face at work – and how to work through them. Professionally, I’ve spent 20 years working in marketing, project management, sales, legal compliance, and quality control in the publishing and call center industries. I’ve also served as an online columnist for Bloomberg Businessweek (From the Bottom Up) and Sales & Marketing Management (The Personal Touch). I live in Dubuque, Iowa.

12 Ways To Alienate A New Hire

Your new hires are thinking just that. It’s shouldn’t be a surprise. Remember those first days at your job? Remember all the paperwork, people, and process thrown at you? Chances are, you had plenty of thoughts crossing your mind: “How will I ever remember all this?” “Is this something I want to do?” “What if I fail?” When you went home, you probably pressed a pillow against your face and bellowed, “I left my old job for this?”

It’s easy to forget how intimidating starting a new job can be. You feel so lost and alone. The workflow seems so arbitrary, contradictory, and muddled. You come in pumped up…and leave full of doubt. Eventually, it levels off. You grow comfortable. Soon enough, you take the reins like a veteran. But it’s never easy.

These days, the prevailing mindset seems to be, “You’re lucky to have a job.” Many companies view employees as costs and commodities, all easily replaceable. And there is rarely time for training. “You’re responsible for your own development,” they say. Unfortunately, this every-man-for himself and squeeze-every-cent mentality is a recipe for silent antagonism, knowledge hoarding, and spiritual fatigue. Early impressions matter. Sure, you hired your people based off your gut as much as their credentials. But they hired you too. And they’re evaluating you right from the start. So you’ll want their first days to be upbeat and well-planned. And you’ll want to avoid these dozen training pitfalls that breed reservations and ultimately turnover:

1) Not Ready: “You have to be kidding me!” Apparently, operations didn’t have a phone line and a cubicle ready. If your hires were lucky enough to get a laptop, they probably didn’t have rights to the network (or access to the right applications). God knows when they’ll get security badges…or be added to the right email lists.

No, you weren’t ready for them. Everyone was just too busy. There wasn’t a trainer or peer advisor assigned to any of them. And they had no idea where to go with questions. So they organized their cubes and pretended to work. While they waited for someone to get free to help, they realized something. The company viewed them as burdens, not assets. They weren’t going to be supported. They’d just be tossed in, as management washed their hands, walked away, and hoped a few would survive.

And management wonders why recruits start slow or quickly leave! If they didn’t know where to start, how could their new hires ever know? Before new hires arrive, get the basic necessities ready. There’s nothing more frustrating than waiting when you’re raring to go.

2) Poorly Structured Training: You threw so much at them. Sometimes, they couldn’t tell how the information related to their jobs. Other times, you sent them off to read a book, watch a video, or complete a computer simulation. You assumed they’d recognize the connections and context. But you were wrong. There was no plan or direction. Most wondered if you even knew exactly what you wanted them to do. You were just checking off every box on the training checklist. The actual trainees were an afterthought.

Want to ensure your new hires absorb more from training? Follow the basics: Break down the content into digestible chunks. Start with the basics that everyone needs to master. Emphasize what’s critical to their success, so they know where to focus. Repeat key points constantly. And give them a written plan, so they can see a beginning and an end…and know exactly what’s being covered and how everything is tied together.

3) No Ongoing Training: Think training is a one-and-done deal? It is…if you don’t mind ongoing mistakes and mediocrity. Your recruits will forget plenty – if they even understood it in the first place. It can be hard to pull it all together. There is so much to cover…and it must be delivered quickly. Some will pick up what they’ve missed on the job. But everyone has knowledge gaps. And you want your people to do their job well, not just get the job done.

Ask your team for questions, whether they entail products or best practices. Schedule a roundtable for peers to share their experiences and know-how. Bottom line: Set your expectations. And you can only do that by regularly outlining and modeling what you want.

4) False Advertising: Your new employees are putting their lives in your hands…literally. Some have uprooted their families to work for you. Others have left cushy jobs because they believe in what you represent. Each took a risk. And they did this because they trusted you. They bought what you were selling. Question is, was it real or just an act?

“That’s not what they promised.” Those are the five words you never want to hear from a new hire. When your culture contradicts your brand, you only create uncertainty. Maybe management and human resources are out of touch, apply situational standards, or live in denial. Chances are, they simply lied. And hires can only wonder, “If they’re shady with us, I can only imagine how they are with customers and stakeholders.” And that’s not the vibe you want to give off to people you’ve spent thousands of dollars to recruit. Word travels fast – and dissatisfaction travels three times faster. Be sure your actions don’t symbolize a different message than the one you intend to convey. Your reputation is everything. And your employees – past and present – are as big of ambassadors as your customers. Be consistent.

5) Overly Critical Early: New people require time to explore, learn, and create. Sure, they need supervision. What they don’t need is someone hovering over them and nitpicking. Your new hires will make mistakes. If these mistakes could cause real damage, you’re probably expecting too much too soon. Give them space. Don’t make them feel dumb and wreck their confidence with constant corrections. They’ll get where they need to be soon enough. Eventually, they’ll take you in directions that you never imagined or considered possible.

6) Overwhelm: There are no honeymoons for new hires anymore. Companies have been reorganized to the bone. They need revenue now. And they expect employees to hit the ground running. That expectation may apply to your rainmakers. But those people are few and far between. Not every hire is going to be an A-player. Show me a company stacked with A’s and I’ll show you a culture riddled with turf wars and back stabbing.

You need to strike a balance. For some trainees, that means dropping the whiplash pace and adapting to their learning speed and style. Figure out what’s truly important to do the job. Start them there. Stack more responsibilities and complexity once your recruits have grown adept with the basics. Most important: Make sure they understand your structure first – and who comprises their support system. Their peers will ultimately be the ones who fill in the blanks anyway. Give them a head start on building the right internal networks.

7) Give Too Little Responsibility: Occasionally, you’ll find the opposite problem. Some control freak manager will onboard at a snail’s pace, protecting his hires like glass figurines. That manager will isolate them from the team. He’ll stick them with menial tasks and expect little from them. The whole time, those rookies will silently seethe. They won’t feel like part of the team. They won’t learn and accomplish anything. Fed up with getting only crumbs, they’ll wonder if they – or the job itself – have any significance. When that happens, those employees will inevitably act out or walk out. Either way, your investment is lost.

Show confidence in your new hires early. Earmark some tasks for them before they even arrive. They’ll have to do it on their own eventually. Give them some basic tools and get out of their way. And make sure they have a chance to shine early. That confidence will carry over as the stakes get higher.

8) No Feedback Early: “Am I doing a good job?” That’s the question on every new hire’s mind. If you’re not around, they’ll naturally assume they’re focusing on the right priorities and completing their tasks the way you want. In the process, some will take shortcuts and form bad habits. When you correct them, they’ll think to themselves, “Why didn’t he say anything earlier?” They’ll doubt themselves – and they’ll resent you.

You have the time. You just haven’t made your new hires a priority. Set a time to meet with them each day. Ask questions and check for understanding: Only then can you hold them accountable. People don’t trust what they don’t see. Make it a point to invest your time and build those relationships. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch them doing the right things too.

9) Don’t Listen: You hired them fora reason. They weren’t just warm bodies with pulses. Sure, some had experience and expertise that filled gaps. But a few had talents you couldn’t teach. They simplified the complex and could foresee all the ramifications. That’s when you knew you had something special on your hands. Sadly, your existing employees may not see those talents at first. Despite your hires’ credentials and potential, their peers will likely be skeptical of them early on. They’ll expect your hires to prove themselves. Most likely, they won’t listen to anything they have to say.

“We’re the veterans. There’s a pecking order. And there’s a way we do things around here. Now, shut up and listen!” That’s usually the mantra of every cloistered, tone deaf, dysfunctional organization around the globe. With new hires, existing staffers often shut them out, subtly cautioning them to learn the ropes and wait their turn. Don’t be a leader who sanctions that mindset. Solicit your new hires’ opinions. Include them on projects that play to their abilities. If their viewpoints represent a threat, your organization is the one with the problem. Be thankful you have potential solutions on board.

10) Unclear Expectations: Surprise! There’s nothing harder than a job turning into a moving target. Sure, the higher ups shake up priorities as markets transform, competitors disrupt, and financials disappoint. But if your new hires are unclear about the quality, volume, or turnaround you expect – or how and why you’re implementing changes – you’re ultimately molding stymied, disoriented employees. So set some benchmarks. Be clear on what your employees should know after a week, let alone 30 or 90 days out.

In their probation period, your newbies will sometimes wonder, “Am I going to make it here.” Uncertainty only fuels that sentiment. Create baselines so they can measure their progress. That just makes it easier when they need to adjust.

11) Don’t Feel Special: Picture this: You woke up early for that first day. You wore your best outfit, with shirt pressed and shoes shined. You were eager, energized, and hopeful. You were you at your best. It was too bad that you saw your new employer at their worst.

You showed up early. But it wouldn’t have mattered if you were late. There was no one there to welcome you. And it only went downhill from there. Few knew you were coming. And the ones who stopped by came out of curiosity. After your boss slipped out of a meeting, he hastily introduced you to your new co-workers. Over time, you realized this was the norm. Eventually, you received a handful of welcome visits and emails. The office mom organized a potluck in your honor. You even managed to sit in and observe a few of your peers. But the damage was done. And those first days sent a message. The company thought anyone could do your job. You weren’t anything special. And you’d just have to fend for yourself and figure it out on your own.

The first days set the tone for any new hire. And it’s very difficult to get back that goodwill and momentum when they’re treated poorly. So reduce your margin for error. Plan out their early days. Show them off like trophies. Give them your time, so they know how important they are. Get them around the right people, so they build the right relationships and don’t gravitate to negative influences to fill the void. Bottom line: Lavish them with personal attention. Demonstrate in word and deed that this is the place for them.

12) Poison The Well: It was a test of wills. You played hardball on salary and benefits with an employee. Eventually, he backed down. You won…or so you think.

Those first days at a new job are supposed to be a honeymoon…for both sides. You fawn over each other, blissfully unaware of the surprises, barriers, and temptations ahead. But that won’t be the case if you dragged out the process or lowballed the offer. Just because an employee takes the job doesn’t mean he’s comfortable with you. Of course, he’ll never tell you that you insulted or cheated him. But those first days will be damage control. And it could go either way.

In recruiting an employee, don’t use all of your leverage. Give something back. Make your hire feel like he won something. The money you give up will be offset by an employee who’s focused and productive…and happy enough to stick around.

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